The high cost of livin'...

...ain't nothing like the cost of livin' high.

Properly raised as I was, I know there are three things one never discusses in polite company...

Money

Politics

and Religion

But here's the thing. Cancer is a lot like the Real World. Sometimes you have to stop being polite and start getting real (could somebody get the phone?) So here's the real deal on the high cost of living with cancer.

With the claim amount charged to my medical insurance provider in calendar year 2012, Rob and I could have bought...



this 3,800 square feet house.

Or, for every round of chemo we could have a brand new one of these...


2013 Fiat 500 Abarth.

Can you imagine SIX of those sitting in your drive way?

And a shot of Neulasta? I could be carrying a Birkin bag to each one of those...



My closet needs SIX of these.

If compact imports and Birkins aren't your speed (see how I did that there) how about this Rolex...

One of these? Or a double mastectomy with overnight hospital stay? The choice is yours.

So say what you will about the ACA. For us it meant paying about this much in premiums last year...


One pair of Manolo's looks about right.

And about this much in co-pays and deductibles...


How's about a week at thisprivate villa in St. Maarten?

If it weren't for the FMLA and the healthy balance of sick leave I'd accrued (sometimes I really crack myself up), those 42 cumulative days I had to take off from work would have cost us one of these...

Gibson Custom Limited Edition Les Paul

By comparison, 2011 only cost my medical insurance provider 2 tickets to Coachella...


If you don't love the Black Keys, you may need to check your pulse.

And my copays were a mere bottle of this 1961 cabernet...


Mmm...vintage-ey goodness.

Small change compared to the $102,800,000,000 direct medical costs the NIH estimates for the 3,672,794 Americans living with cancer. Can you imagine life for one of the 4,928,450 living without health insurance when there are 1,596,670 new cases of cancer diagnosed each year?

And with that, I will jump down off of this....